Apparatus for refining oils



D PYZEL APPARATUS FOR REFINING OILS Filedc'b. 26, 192

May 4 1926.

` Patented May 4, 1926.

UNITED sTArEs y 1,533,746 PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL IYZEL, OF PIEDMONT, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SIMPLEX REFIN ING COM.'- PANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION 0F CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR REFINING OILS.

Application led October 26, 1921. Serial No. 510,561'.

refining of petroleum oils.

The principal object of my invention is to produce a refining system in which a certain desired product may be obtained by means which may be easily controlled by the operator.

lVhile my invention is applicable to any refining system, it is particularly applicable to so called cracking systems, in which the oil to be refined is subjected to heat or p-ressure, or both, for the purpose of changing its physical characteristics or molecular structure. f

By the use of my invention, the efficiency of such cracking systems can be largely increased and the desired product` can be ob* tained with greater certainty than is at present possible.

Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawing which is for i1- lustrative purposes only,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation through one embodiment of an apparatus suited to carry on my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of same.

In the embodiment shown, 11 is a heater, 12 is a vapor separator, 13 is a deplilegmator, 14 is a cooler, 15 is a circulating pump, 16 is a condenser and 17 is a feed pump.

The heater 11 and the vapor separator 12 form a means for heating and removing vapor from oil, and are hereinafter sometimes referred to as a still. Other well known forms of stills may be substituted for the parts 11 and 12 without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the form shown, 21 is a pipe coil, situated in a furnace 22 having a chimney 23 and being heated by a gas or oil burner 24. Oil enters the coil 21 through a pipe 25 being delivered from the coil 21 through a pipe 26 into the top of the vapor separator 12.

rIhe vapor separator 12 consists of a tight` shell 30, having a series of spreader cones 31 therein. V*The heated oil Which'contains bubbles-of vapor therein iows downwardly over these cones and in a thin film over the inner walls of the shell 30, the vapor escaptherefro-m during the downward passage of t-lie oil. These vapors are withdrawn from the shell 3() through a pipe 31 and are delivered to the bottom of the dephlegmator 13. Tlie'residuum, free from its vapor, passes through a pipe 33 controlled by a valve 34 to suitable storage.

n The dephlegmator 13 consists of a tight shell 40 having a series of'shallow pans V41 and 42 therein. The pans 41 are smaller in diameter than the interior of the dephlegmater, allowing vapor to pass upwardly and liquid to pass downwardly around the outer edge thereof. The pans 42 fit tightly inside the deplilegmator but have openings 43 in the center thereof' through which vapors ascend and through which'liquid may pass downwardly. i The highly heated vapors from the pipe 31a pass in a tortuous course through the `pans 4.2and around the pans 41 being finally withdrawn through a pipe 45 which delivers them to the top of the condenser 16.

The oil to be refined is delivered through a pipe 46 controlled by a valve 47 into the -top of the dephlegmator 13, this oil filling they pans 41 and 42 and dropping dqwnwardly through the sp-ace around the pans 41 and through the openings 43. The oil delivered through the pipe 46 is at atmospheric temperature. In its passage downwardly ythrough the dephlegmator 13., it is in intimate contact with the vapor delivered from the still and several results are accomplished therein.

In the first place the oil is `considerably heated by the vapors, thereby conserving a certain number of heat units which would otherwise have to be taken up inthe condenser 16. There may also be in the oil a certain percentage of gasoline, benzine or other volatile hydrocarbons which readily distill off' at comparatively lowi temperatures. The heating of oil causes these hydrocarbone to distill and to go 0E with the other vapors through the pipe 45 intothe condenser 16, thus further conserving the heat units and further assisting in cooling the vapor. In any still the vapors taken olf are a mixture of various hydrocarbons, the lighter ones being those usually desired and the heavier ones being those ordinarily of less value. In cracking hydrocarbons the main purpose is to change the heavier hydrocarbons into lighter ones. The heavier hydrocarbons are much more easily condensed .e'than the lighter' ones and the cooling action of the oil onv the vapors in the dephleginator 13 tends to condense these heavier vhydrocarbons t'romthe vapor,these condensates mixing` with the crude oil `and being carried downwardly therewith to the still lin - the still.

. being forced "through apipe 56 and through This mixture of condensates and crude oil freed from itslightest fractions at a considerably elevated temperature is delivered through a pipe 48 and valves 49 to the pumpu 17 which in turn forces it through the pipe 25 back into the still. In the still distillation and cracking occurs, the vapors passing olf f' through thepipe 31a Where they are again acted upon. I have found that whilel the supply of crude oil in ordinary distillation will, in some cases, be suiiicient to accomplish the necessary cooling of the vapors, where cracking stills are operated the vapors are at. such a high temperature that the oil is notsutlicient in quantity to effect the desired cooling, or what is the same thing, that certain fractions are distilled from the oil and pass over through the vapor line 45 which it is desired to pass into the still.

For the purpose of assisting in the cooling, and more particularly for the purpose of allowing the operator to control the temperature of the vapor in the pipe 45, and the oil in. the pipe 25, I provide the cooler 14. This cooler is of the type shown; consisting of tubes 50, situated between heads 51 and 52 and cooled by water delivered and withdrawn through the pipes 53. A. portion of theluid is taken from the pipe 48 through a pipe-54 to the suction s ide of the pump 15,

the tubes into a pipe 57 from which it is delivered to the top of the dephlegmator 13. By providing a sutficiently large 'cooler 14, the operator is able to fullyn control the temperature in the dephlegmator 13 by varying the speed of the pump 15, or he may control `this temperature by regulating the water flowing through the pipes 53. In either case, in the event that the temperature of the vapor in the pipe 45 or the temperature ot' the oil in the pipe 25 becomes excessive, it is simply necessary to speed upvthe pump 15 or increase the flow of the cooling water through the' pipes 53. The operator is thus ableby very simple means to absolutely con- .a trol these temperatures and to thus make an accurate divison of the oil.

said shell`;,means inside said shell for finely dividing and `spreading the oil as it passes through said shell; means forpassing the vapors fromjsaid still upwardly through said shell in intimate contact with the oil passing downwardly through said shell so that it may condense and absorb a portion 'of said vapors; a cooler; means for withdrawing a portion of said oil and its associated condensates from said shell and delivering it to said cooler; means for delivering said cooled oil and condensates into the top of said shell; and means for delivering oil and-its associated condensates from the bottom of said shell Vto said still.

Intestimony whereof, I have hereunto 'set my hand at the city and county of San Francisco, California, this 18th day of October, 1921.

DANIEL PYZEL. 

